Monday, Dec 23, 2002
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Cricket
By Ted Corbett
They can blame two clear mistakes by the South African umpire Rudi Koertzen who called Matthew Hayden and Ryan Campbell not out when all the evidence before and after showed that they had edged the ball to wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana. Hayden was 20 when he had his big let-off and went on to make 64. Campbell made only five more runs out of his 16; but it is not runs scored as a result of the poor decisions that are at issue here. The Australians went on to make 305 for five and there is no suggestion that they would have been out for many fewer. Instead it is the state to which these rulings reduced the Sri Lankans. Their morale is clearly down in the basement and the looks of agony that passed between the players after each decision showed that it will be a while before they recover. Umpires, companionable men, engaging conversationalists and amusing friends, are victims too often in this age of the TV replay and talkative commentators so it is not a pleasant duty to report that Koertzen has made this mistake frequently in recent times. In the third Test, also at the WACA ground, he gave wrong three decisions in Australia's favour and they were all caught behind. Either his hearing has lost its keeness in recent days or there is something odd about the acoustics at the WACA. Never mind the umpires. Australia was once again in superb batting form. Darren Lehmann, who volunteered to open in place of Adam Gilchrist who is sidelined with a groin injury, made his first one-day century on a home ground, rattling along at a run a ball with inventive shots, neat but unorthodox footwork and supple wrists. He is a man whose figure suggests he likes an extra slice of toast at breakfast but he is the most fluent run-maker at his best. He and Hayden put on 162 for the opening stand, and he hit a six and a dozen fours in 119 to provide a base from which Australia made a match-winning score. Brett Lee, just about the fastest bowler in the world, steamed in from the River End, at 93 miles an hour, and immediately had Sanath Jayasuriya caught at mid on for three, which took the Sri Lankan captain's series aggregate to 19 in three innings. Marvan Atapattu walked before umpire Koertzen had the chance to venture an opinion and Sri Lanka continued in that feeble way until five wickets were down for 62. The heavy atmosphere and background lightning turned to rain but Ricky Ponting ordered his slow bowlers Lehmann and Brad Hogg to speed up the over rate so that the game could be won under the rain rules which say 25 overs make a match. Happily the rule was not needed and Lee ended the Sri Lankan innings attempting a hat trick and bowling to a field containing six slips. When Sri Lanka were 86 for five the game was undoubtedly Australia's but it was allowed to drift while its left-arm spinner Hogg was tried out as a replacement for Shane Warne in the World Cup. He was no more impressive than the off-spinner Nathan Hauritz who bowled so poorly for Australia A against England. Any sub-continental batsman would be pleased to see Hogg bowling at the crucial stage of a World Cup game.
MacGill in for Warne
As expected, the Australian squad for the fourth Test shows just one change from the one that secured a record eighth successive Ashes series in Perth. Leg-spinner Stuart MacGill is recalled in place of the injured Warne. MacGill can consider himself unlucky to bowl in the same era as Warne but he still has an outstanding Test record with 82 wickets from 17 matches at 25.01. His record against England is impressive too: 27 wickets in four Tests. He looks a much better choice as a World Cup spinner than any of those being touted so loudly in Australia at the moment. The team: Steve Waugh (capt.), Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Stuart MacGill, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting.
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